Children who develop conduct-disordered behavior are at high risk for a number of later life negative outcomes. These outcomes carry tremendous costs to individuals and society. While efficacious interventions for the treatment and prevention of conduct-disordered behavior exist, upwards of 50% of children in need of these interventions do not receive them, a proportion that is significantly higher among children in historically underserved populations. The proposed project will develop an innovative intervention to reduce disparities in the prevention of conduct-disordered behavior in a diverse population of young children. Specifically, we will adapt the evidence-based behavioral family intervention, parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT; Eyberg & University of Florida Child Study Lab, 2009), into a selective preventive intervention that can be implemented by natural helpers-those to whom historically underserved families are likely to turn for help. This project builds upon previous work conducted by the applicants and lays the foundation for further systematic inquiry into the role of natural helpers in reducing disparities. In order to enhance existing capacity to conduct research in a nontraditional setting accessed by a historically-underserved group, the project will be guided by Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) principles and conducted in partnership with a Latina/o- serving community agency with a successful record of engaging families using natural helpers. In the context of this partnership, a rigorous qualitative approach will be employed that allows for the expedient and reliable identification and verification of cultural and contextual factors that must be accounted for in the new preventative intervention. Thirty-six natural helpers and 36 Latina/o parents of young children will first participate in focu groups discussions to identify cultural and contextual factors that must be accounted for in the preventive intervention. Subsequent to rigorous qualitative analysis of the focus group data, the preventive intervention manual will be developed. Focus group participants will then be reconvened into a community forum to provide feedback on the proposed preventive intervention. All research activities will be guided by an advisory board that includes two university-affiliated researchers, two representatives of the Latina/o-serving community agency, two local experts on natural helpers, and two representatives from local Latina/o parent groups. Results of the proposed project will be used to support future projects to test and improve the preventive intervention. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Conduct-disordered behavior is the most common reason for referral to mental health services for children; however, large numbers of children do not receive evidence-based services, leading to significant costs to individuals and society. The proposed project will develop an innovative intervention to reduce mental health service disparities in the prevention of conduct-disordered behavior in a diverse population of young children. We will employ a Community-Based Participatory Research approach that enhances existing capacity to conduct research in nontraditional service settings.